Politics

Political news from around NC and beyond.

Takeaways: Tillis, Cunningham Trade Accusations On COVID, Vaccine

By & • Sep 15, 2020
Merigrace Ramsey / WRAL

Republican Senator Thom Tillis and Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham sparred over the pandemic, systemic racism and each other’s records Monday night during a socially distanced debate.

WATCH: Tillis And Cunningham Meet For First Televised Senate Debate

By • Sep 14, 2020
Thom Tillis Cal Cunningham U.S. Senate
Campaign Photos

Follow live updates of the first televised debate between North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham.

Watch live here starting at 7 p.m.

As Campaign Intensifies, NC Democrats Mostly Staying Indoors

By • Sep 14, 2020

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham hasn’t campaigned in person since the first stay-at-home order was issued in March.

Tillis, Cunningham Meet For First Televised Senate Debate Monday

By • Sep 14, 2020
Thom Tillis Cal Cunningham U.S. Senate
Campaign Photos

North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham are meeting for their first televised debate in a campaign whose outcome could determine which party controls the Senate.

Are DeJoy's Donations Trouble For North Carolina Republicans?

By • Sep 11, 2020
politics politics podcast logo

This week: A Washington Post story alleged Postmaster General Louis DeJoy cajoled GOP campaign donations from employees of the logistics business he ran in Greensboro. 

Rob Schofield of NC Policy Watch and Becki Gray of the John Locke Foundation consider whether the latest controversy surrounding DeJoy will affect Republican candidates in North Carolina this year.

Also, census watchers are sounding the alarm to Congress about a potential undercount in the state, and the major party candidates for U.S. Senate have their first debate next week. 


Why Dog Whistles Work In Politics

By • Sep 11, 2020
Tested Podcast logo

With Election Day less than two months away, candidates are in full force on the campaign trail trying to woo voters. But what message are they crafting to appeal to their constituents? When it comes to talking about race, politicians have used coded language to conjure racist stereotypes for decades. The technique is called “dog whistle politics.” 

Guest host Charlie Shelton-Ormond talks about the influence of dog-whistle politics with Ian Haney Lopez, the Chief Justice Earl Warren professor of public law at the University of California-Berkeley. 

Charlie also shares a statement from WUNC about Black lives and racial equity with colleagues Kamaya Truitt and Naomi Prioleau.


10K North Carolinians Vote Absentee In First Week

By • Sep 11, 2020
Boxes of absentee ballot requests sit at the Durham County Board of Elections office in Durham, N.C. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020.
Ben McKeown / For WUNC

Nearly 10,000 North Carolinians had their mail-in ballots accepted in the first week of voting, according to data released Friday by the State Board of Elections.

Postal Service, Under Political Spotlight, Preps For Surge In Election Mail

By • Sep 10, 2020

Absentee ballots for the upcoming November election have already been mailed out to voters in North Carolina, and voters in some two dozen additional states can expect theirs in the coming few weeks. Because of the coronavirus pandemic a record number of Americans are expected to cast their ballots by mail this year.

NC: Trump Rally Exceeded Pandemic Limits, But Not Illegal

By • Sep 10, 2020
Donald Trump, Winston-Salem, Rally
Evan Vucci / AP

A crowed political rally hosted by President Donald Trump put people’s health at risk, but was legal under state pandemic rules that exempt certain gatherings where people exercise free speech, a spokeswoman for North Carolina's governor said Wednesday.

NC Voter Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Early Voting, Mail-In Ballots

By & • Sep 9, 2020
Natalie Dudas-Thomas / WUNC

WUNC has all the coverage you need this election season. Check out our 2020 Voter Guide for information on absentee ballots and more. And be sure to check out our Races To Watch stories for everything you need to know about candidates in statewide and legislative elections. Subscribe to WUNC's Politics Podcast, and follow reporters Rusty Jacobs and Jeff Tiberii on Twitter.

The North Carolina General Assembly recently enacted legislation to ease absentee-by-mail voting this year and to make polls safer for in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

'Decoding The Dashboards,' A Tested Takeover

By , & • Sep 8, 2020
politics politics podcast logo

As COVID-19 cases climb at many colleges and universities in North Carolina, schools are maintaining dashboards to track and present different data and terminology. But are the dashboards enough of a resource to keep students and faculty informed about the virus on their campus?

On this edition of the Politics Podcast, we're featuring an episode from Tested, a podcast at WUNC that takes a hard look at how North Carolina and its neighbors are facing the day's challenges.

Tested host Dave DeWitt talks with WUNC education reporter Liz Schlemmer about the role of dashboards in tracking COVID-19 cases at colleges and universities.
 


House Democrats Investigating Postmaster General Over Campaign Finance Allegations

By • Sep 8, 2020

Updated at 2:06 p.m. ET

House Democrats say they are investigating Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over allegations reported by The Washington Post that he asked employees to donate to certain political candidates and then reimbursed them through bonuses.

The Fight For Mark Meadows’ Vacated NC-11 Seat Continues In Debates

By & Frank Stasio • Sep 8, 2020
A photo split between a torso-up shot of candidate Madison Cawthorn and candidate Moe Davis, both holding microphones
Cory Vaillancourt

Republican Madison Cawthorn and Democrat Moe Davis are in a close race for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District seat, which represents most of western North Carolina. The two faced off in a two-day forum this weekend addressing issues ranging from police reform to the numerous unsolved cases of missing and murdered indigenous women. 

Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0, And Trump Stops By

By • Sep 4, 2020
politics politics podcast logo

This week: State legislators gaveled in for a brief two-day session and don't intend to return until next year — that is, until after the elections are over. Their singular charge was to allocate North Carolina's remaining pandemic relief funds from the federal CARES Act.

Becki Gray of the John Locke Foundation and Rob Schofield of NC Policy Watch discuss the good – and the bad – in the latest relief package. And they react to President Trump's visit to Wilmington, where he tacitly encouraged people to vote twice.
 


Lawmakers Returned To Raleigh To Pass Nearly $1 Billion COVID Relief Bill

By , Frank Stasio & • Sep 4, 2020
The front of the North Carolina Legislature building with an American flag and a North Carolina flag out front with two trees on either side
Jayron32

The North Carolina legislature passed the Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0 Thursday, which allocates the nearly $1 billion left of federal CARES Act money. 

Mike Pence Visiting Raleigh Thursday For Anti-Abortion Rally

By & • Sep 3, 2020
Mike Pence coronavirus Florida
Wilfredo Lee / AP

Vice President Mike Pence will be in Raleigh on Thursday to promote an anti-abortion agenda, GOP candidates and to make campaign stops for President Donald Trump.

Trump Takes Jab At Biden During V-J Day Visit To Battleship

By • Sep 2, 2020
Evan Vucci / AP Photo

As thunderstorms threatened, President Donald Trump sped through a V-J Day speech on Wednesday, trumpeting American strength and managing to squeeze in a swipe at Democratic rival Joe Biden.

NC Board Of Elections Backs Plans For Early Voting On Sundays In Undecided Counties

By • Sep 2, 2020
Voters fill out their ballots at the Hamilton County Board of Elections as early voting begins statewide, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016, in Cincinnati.
John Minchillo / ASSOCIATED PRESS

The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted along party lines Monday to back plans for early voting on Sundays in some counties.

Postal Chief DeJoy Has Long Leveraged Connections, Dollars

By • Aug 31, 2020
Ron Doke / Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cobalt220/4396088257

During its search for a new postmaster general, the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors was presented with 53 candidates screened by an outside company. Not on the list: Louis LeJoy, who ultimately got the job.

Trump To Visit Wilmington To Declare It A 'WWII Heritage City'

By & • Aug 31, 2020
Alex Brandon / AP

President Donald Trump will visit Wilmington on Wednesday to declare it a World War II “Heritage City.”

News outlets report that the visit is timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the end of the war.

Requests For Absentee-By-Mail Ballots Surge In NC

By • Aug 28, 2020
Tiffany Tertipes / Unsplash / creative commons

North Carolina voters continue to request absentee-by-mail ballots this year at a record pace. Requests are now 15 times ahead of where the number was at the same time four years ago, during the last presidential election cycle. They're expected to surpass 500,000 this weekend.

Protests And Presidential Nominations: What Went Down At The National Conventions

By & Frank Stasio • Aug 28, 2020
Grant Baldwin / Flickr / CC

Last night marked the close of the most unusual political conventions in American history. Both the Republican and Democratic national conventions looked radically different this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. For the Democrats, roll call was a virtual parade of state and territory landmarks, including Rhode Island’s trademark calamari. 

Ahead Of Lawmakers' Return To Raleigh, Gov. Cooper Calls For More COVID Testing, Teacher Bonuses

By & • Aug 28, 2020
N.C. Governor Roy Cooper and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen.
N.C. Department of Public Safety

A proposed budget plan issued this week by Governor Roy Cooper could set up some battle lines for this fall's General Election.

Cooper has issued a budgetary wish list as lawmakers return to Raleigh next week. The legislative session was scheduled so lawmakers could address the allocation of nearly $1 billion in COVID-19 federal relief funds.

Fact Check: President Trump's RNC Speech

By • Aug 27, 2020
President Donald Trump speaks on stage during the first day of the Republican National Committee convention, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Charlotte.
Evan Vucci / AP

President Trump is accepting the Republican nomination for president on Thursday. NPR reporters are providing analysis of his remarks live.

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Meet One Of North Carolina's Republican Delegates

By • Aug 27, 2020
Courtesy Juan Pleitez

21-year-old Juan Pleitez thought he'd be making the drive from Raleigh to Charlotte to cast his vote as a first-time delegate to the Republican National Convention. Instead, he watched from home this week while a much smaller group officially renominated President Trump.

RNC Live Coverage: Thursday, Aug. 27

By • Aug 27, 2020

Follow live updates and analysis of Day 4 of the Republican National Convention. President Trump caps off the week with his address.

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#NC11: Cawthorn Mingles With Far-Right Fringe

By & Sally Kestin & Tom Fiedler & Peter H. Lewis & AVL Watchdog • Aug 27, 2020

Conservative congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn, scheduled to speak Wednesday at the GOP national convention, traveled to Texas last month to visit a private border wall and echoed discredited child sex trafficking claims promoted by the extremist conspiracy theory movement.

RNC Live Coverage: Wednesday, Aug. 26

By • Aug 26, 2020

Follow live updates and analysis of Day 3 of the Republican National Convention. Vice President Pence headlines the night.

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WATCH: State Officials Hold Coronavirus Briefing

By • Aug 26, 2020

Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to share an update on COVID-19 and share his budget proposal.

Watch live, here, starting at 3 p.m.:

Plea Agreement Of Ex-NC State Rep. David Lewis Accepted

By • Aug 26, 2020
State Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett) talks with reporters after a session of the Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018.
Rusty Jacobs / WUNC

Updated at 3:24 p.m.

A federal judge on Wednesday accepted the guilty plea of a longtime North Carolina state lawmaker who acknowledged conducting a scheme to funnel campaign dollars to his ailing farm.

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